What the country needs today are “fearless prophets” who will proclaim the Gospel even if it means being prosecuted, said Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan.
He said the signs of the times show the need for brave prophets who are prepared to be unpopular in reminding the people of the demands of justice and truth.
“We need prophets who will proclaim the truth with courage, who will tell the truth even if we are unloved, who will proclaim the truth even if it means difficulty or even death,” said the prelate.
He made the statement during Mass to mark the 15th death anniversary of Cardinal Jaime Sin of Manila on Sunday, June 21.
The archbishop said the demands for prophets is not only exclusive to the church and schools but even more in government.
“The bottom line is where there is no courage, there will be no prophets. Where faith is absent, there will be no prophets,” he said.
“We’re all anointed as prophets when the day we were baptized. All it takes is faith, all it takes is much love,” he said. “Where courage is lacking, teaching will not have any credibility.”
Archbishop Villegas said Cardinal Sin, who played a key role in two “people power” revolts in 1986 and 2001, was a prophet in his time, not because of his own doing but of Jesus.
The archbishop said the works of being prophets must continue because “when prophets fail, Jesus is betrayed”.
Cardinal Sin served as Manila archbishop for 29 years until his retirement in 2003. He died in 2005.
